


The Good Investigator

by AmyPC



Category: The Good Wife (TV), Veronica Mars (TV), Veronica Mars - All Media Types
Genre: Crossover, F/M, No Piz, No major character deaths guaranteed, Willicia forever, anti-Peter, eventual love, eventual team detecting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-06
Updated: 2020-09-01
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:28:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24562384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AmyPC/pseuds/AmyPC
Summary: This takes place 4 years following the Veronica Mars season 3 series finale and during the timeframe of The Good Wife season 3. This is an alternate journey for both Veronica Mars and Alicia Florrick. I ship LoVe and Willicia. There will be NO major character death, guaranteed.
Relationships: Alicia Florrick/Will Gardner, Logan Echolls & Wallace Fennel, Logan Echolls/Veronica Mars, Wallace Fennel & Veronica Mars
Comments: 52
Kudos: 45





	1. A New Day

**Author's Note:**

> This fic follows The Good Wife season three. I did pull dialogue from both The Good Wife and Veronica Mars. You will recognize cases from The Good Wife. I'm inserting the Veronica Mars characters into Chicago and The Law Offices of Lockhart Gardner.
> 
> Thank you to my beta [Aurora2020](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurora2020) (aka cmc545), our shared love of both Veronica Mars and The Good Wife makes us a formidable team. Her encouragement and cheerleading fueled my excitement for this project.
> 
> Thank you also to [pepero4president](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pepero4president/pseuds/pepero4president) (aka peperhook) and [irma66](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Irma66/pseuds/Irma66) who read this without prior knowledge of The Good Wife to be certain it would appeal to all my Veronica Mars peeps! Their input was invaluable.
> 
> An additional note to Irma66, last time she helped me, I learned to temper my use of exclamation points! This time, I learned not to fear the comma. I will become a better writer with her input.
> 
> This fic is a prize fic for VM Fic Club member **lastlennonista** for her participation in our Fic for Our Future charity drive to benefit the World Health Organization and their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Guess what, Papa Bear?” Veronica has been up for hours, unable to sleep for the exciting news.

Wallace groans and from the rustling, it sounds like he’s still in bed. _“Uhh… What?”_

“I accepted that investigator position at Lockhart Gardner.” She moves through her New York apartment, emptying drawers and filling boxes as she goes.

_“Wha-?! Wait. What investigator position?”_

“Wallace, come on... I was there three weeks ago…” There’s silence on the other end of the line. “Remember? I came to Chicago to visit and had an interview for that job?” She gives a frustrated huff and shakes her head. 

_“You were serious ‘bout that?”_ He’s lost the early morning rasp to his voice, but he doesn’t sound any more clear about the conversation.

“Well, yeah. I thought you understood. Didn’t I explain?” She pauses beside the box of law text books and gives it a test lift— _Ugh, too heavy—_ and starts tore-arrange.

_“V, you rarely explain anything, girl!”_

Veronica takes a deep breath. She’s not exactly proud that she’s basically floundering at life again. She came to New York convinced that Columbia Law was the right choice, now she’s unsure. 

“Well it's a new day. Here's the thing, I’m not sure that finishing law school is in the cards for me, not right now anyway. I miss investigating. This job fits because it’s _investigating_ , butfor a _law firm_. Maybe Dad will see it as 'more respectable,' you know?” She throws up air quotes even though he can’t see them. “So, I can crash with you for awhile, right?”

_“Sure, V. You can bunk here with me as long as you need. When do you start?”_

“I’m packing now." She abandons the text books and moves on to the bathroom drawers. "I’ll be there tomorrow afternoon. Can you pick me up at O’Hare after school? I land at four-thirty. I lined up a small moving van to bring the rest of my stuff this weekend.”

 _“Yeah, that's cool. I'll pick you up, no problem. Four-thirty gives me time to get there after the last bell."_ There’s more rustling, then a noisy yawn that ends in a squeak that makes her smile.

"Thanks, Wallace. I knew I could count on you."

_"Anytime. See you tomorrow, Veronica.”_

* * *

It’s Thursday morning and Veronica is waiting in the lobby of the Law Offices of Lockhart Gardner. The activity around her thrums with energy, and she’s looking forward to getting started.

The elevator opens and a pretty brunette wearing a classic suit enters the office with confidence. Veronica recognizes her, recalling the Florrick scandal that hit the national news two years earlier and the mousey woman that stood by her man. Today though, Alicia Florrick exudes strength and… happiness. Veronica wants to learn from this woman who took her life back after hitting rock bottom.

Veronica is momentarily distracted from her thoughts when a young clerk enters the waiting area and addresses the Middle Eastern man sitting across from Veronica. 

"Mr. Al-Said? Ms. Lockhart can see you now, right this way." Ms. Lockhart—as in _Lockhart_ Gardner—Veronica hopes she’ll have the opportunity to work with and learn from her as well.

“Veronica? Excuse me, good morning.”

Veronica startles briefly then turns to greet her new boss, Kalinda Sharma, The Head of Investigations. She's a petite woman, long dark hair swept up in a twist, dark expressive eyes, leather from her jacket to her boots. They’d met several weeks ago when Veronica interviewed for the position and an instant rapport was struck. Veronica appreciates Kalinda's quiet strength and professionalism. “Hi Kalinda, good to see you again.” She reaches out to shake her hand as she stands.

“You too. I'm so glad to have you join us. Follow me. We'll start with your HR paperwork and get you situated. Okay?”

“Yeah, that sounds good. I’m excited to jump right in.”

* * *

Veronica is settled at a conference room table with a stack of HR forms in front of her. Kalinda stepped away a bit ago and Veronica was left to her own devices. She’s momentarily distracted by activity across the hall. A tall, handsome, well-dressed man has just entered Alicia Florrick’s office. Due to the glass walls, Veronica has an unhindered view of their interaction. She turns her head to hide the fact that she’s watching them out of the corner of her eye.

The man closes the office door and looks around as if making sure there’s no one near. Then he turns to Mrs. Florrick and he smiles. Her face lights up in response. Veronica watches as they stand close and lean into one another talking quietly and laughing together. There’s a familiarity between the couple. Veronica’s been observing people since she was sixteen years old; she recognizes what’s going on here.

Eventually, they relocate to the chairs on either side of the desk and the man steeples his fingers in front of his mouth as if collecting his thoughts. A group moves through the hallway, momentarily blocking Veronica’s view of the couple. After they’ve passed, the man has already stood and is leaving Mrs. Florrick’s office; he doesn’t look as happy or as relaxed as when he arrived. She turns to see Mrs. Florrick near tears at her desk. _Shoot, I missed something!_

Veronica turns back to the monotony of HR forms, but smiles to herself, realizing she’ll have plenty of entertainment and investigating to do right here in the office. Office dynamics never looked so enticing.

* * *

“You’re not just making this up?” Veronica sits at the bar next to Kalinda with a tequila shot in front of her.

“Come on, it’s a Lockhart Gardner tradition: your first day at the office shot of tequila. Let’s go.” Kalinda reaches for her own shot, taps it on the bar, but waits for Veronica to do hers first.

Veronica, not one to back down from a challenge, lifts her shot, “well, who am I to buck tradition?” and downs it.

“Yeah, I just made that up.” Kalinda does her own shot and they laugh together. “Sounded good, though, didn’t it?”

A moment passes before Kalinda speaks again. “Look, Veronica, I know today was a bit of a bust. It might be slow going at first. But don’t worry. It’ll pick up momentum before you know it and there’ll be more work than you can get done in a forty hour work week. That, I can guarantee."

“Well then, it sounds like I landed at exactly the right place.” As Veronica lifts a glass of water to her lips, a good looking man, not much older than herself, approaches Kalinda from behind. He's dressed professionally and looks vaguely familiar to Veronica, but she can’t place him. She lifts her chin at Kalinda, indicating the newcomer.

“Kalinda." He holds a manila envelope in his hand. 

“Cary.” Veronica can tell there’s a shared past between the two but she’s not quite sure what to make of it. He appears at ease, relaxed, but Kalinda has tensed up and is on alert. Veronica takes her cues from Kalinda and keeps her eyes and ears open as Cary leans on the bar to Kalinda's right.

“So, kind of odd not seeing you around much,” he continues.

“Yeah, I’ve been busy.”

“Yeah. And here I thought you didn’t need me anymore.” He smirks in their direction and shakes his head.

Kalinda chuckles and downs another shot. She indicates the envelope in Cary’s hand. “What’s that?” 

“It’s a peace offering.“ He hands Kalinda the envelope. “Peter Florrick wants to run a clean office, so… this is me being clean… You’re welcome.”

He turns to walk away as Kalinda examines the envelope and the photo inside. Veronica can’t help the suspicion coursing through her as the man exits the bar with barely a nod in her direction. His disinterest only fuels her curiosity.

“Who was that?”

“That?” Kalinda lifts one brow. “That is Cary Agos. He works for the State's Attorney. He’s opposing counsel on the campus brawl case Alicia picked up today. Client’s name is Jimal Mifsud.” Veronica had overheard some talk in the hallway this morning about the inter-faith rally. It had struck her as odd that only one man had been arrested after the rally had escalated to a riot. 

Kalinda signals the bartender to bring her another drink and appears lost in thought for a moment as she slides the photo back into the envelope. “You know, Veronica, this just might be the perfect case to get your feet wet. You up for it?” Kalinda slides the envelope along the bar to Veronica and she reaches out to take it.

“Heck yeah, I'm ready, what is it?”

“Just make sure Alicia gets this in the morning, and then follow her lead, okay?” 

“Sure thing, Kalinda.”

* * *

“Morning, Wallace.” Veronica enters the small kitchen the next morning fresh from her shower. A small TV is on in the corner and Wallace is at the table enjoying a cup of black coffee and half a grapefruit. “Grapefruit?" She scrunches up her nose. "No bacon? Or pancakes?”

Wallace stands and takes his dishes to the sink. “V, if you want bacon or pancakes around here during the week, you’ll have to cook them yourself. I’m outta here. I have an early staff meeting. See you tonight?”

“Yeah, sure. I’ll let you know if my day runs long, but maybe we could get dinner?”

“A'ight, later then.”

She finds a box of frosted flakes, pours a cup of coffee, and settles herself at the table. The TV is tuned to the morning news and the headline catches her eye. 

CAMPUS MURDER, RACIAL TENSIONS HIGH 

As she listens to the reporter, she realizes that the fight at the interfaith rally, the one their client is accused of inciting, took place on the same campus, Chicago Poly Tech. Coincidence? Veronica doesn’t believe in coincidence.

She slides the manila envelope from her bag, takes out the red-light camera photo, and opens Google Maps to discover that the address on the photo is just a block from where the murder took place. If this is Jimal, then it may clear him of the interfaith rally riot, but doing so may implicate him in the murder. _What is the State's Attorney playing at? A clean office, my ass._

Veronica minimizes her map app and dials Kalinda’s number. “Kalinda, good morning. Hey, who should I talk to about additional information on this assault case? You?”

“Did you find something?”

“I think I might have. I just saw the news—” 

“Veronica,” Kalinda interrupts, “do me a favor and call Alicia directly. She’s probably already at the office at this hour.”

“Sure thing, Kalinda, thanks.” She thumbs the end button and then dials Lockhart Gardner's main line.

“Lockhart Gardner, how may I direct your call?”

“Alicia Florrick please.”

“Who may I tell her is calling?”

“Veronica Mars. I’m the new investigator.”

“One moment, Miss Mars.”

Veronica spends a moment listening to the on hold music, Air Supply’s _All Out of Love,_ playing in her ear.

“Alicia Florrick.”

“Yes, Mrs. Florrick, my name is Veronica Mars, I’m the new investigator, and I’ve been assigned to the inter-faith rally case.”

“Ah yes, Veronica, please, just call me Alicia. I only have a few minutes, what do you have for me?”

“Cary Agos gave Kalinda a red-light camera photo of your client’s car at the time of the riot under the guise of a peace offering.”

“That’s good, isn’t it? If he's driving, it proves he wasn’t at the rally.”

“That may be so, but I think there may be more to it. Did you see the news this morning? They're reporting a fraternity murder, a stabbing, on the opposite side of campus from the rally. This photo places Jimal’s car just a block from that murder. It may explain why he's the only defendant the State's Attorney has brought charges against for the riot. They may be setting him up to implicate himself in the murder whether he's driving the car or not.”

There’s silence on the line for a long moment.

“Alicia?”

“Veronica, Jimal said he was at the campus library during the rally. We need to find some proof of that. Can you handle that for me?”

“Absolutely, consider it handled.”

“We're scheduled to be in court at eleven. Bring me something to help prove Jimal’s innocence.”

* * *

Veronica quickly finds her way to the Chicago Poly Tech campus library. She charms a bespectacled desk clerk into checking the circulation receipts and finds that Jimal checked out several books while the rally was becoming a riot several blocks away.

“Are there security cameras?”

“Security office is on the third floor; they should be able to help you with that.”

She leaves the library thirty minutes later with time-stamped video and screen prints of Jimal at the circulation desk, her body vibrating with the excitement of tracking down the evidence, and a smile on her face.

* * *

Alicia is pleased with Veronica’s results and invites her into a meeting with the client at the office prior to their court appearance.

Alicia pulls out the red-light camera photo. “Is that your car, Jimal?”

He appears nervous but agrees with a nod. 

“You said you were at the library during the rally.”

“I _was_ at the library.”

Alicia nods at Veronica who pulls the library security images from a second folder. “Jimal, is this you, at the library?”

He glances her way, then down at the photograph. “Yes, that’s me.”

“We have copies of the circulation desk receipts for the books you're checking out in this photo. The timestamps on the security tape and the receipts do in fact corroborate your statement. You _were_ in the library at the time of the rally.”

Jimal breathes a sigh of relief and relaxes into his chair. 

Alicia takes over questioning. “Jimal, who is driving your car in this photo?”

“I don’t know, ma’am. Both of my roommates have access to my car keys and my permission to use my car. It could be either of them.”

“Well, that will be up to the State's Attorney's Office to figure out now.”

Alicia glances at Veronica with a small smile. “Good work, Veronica.”

As Alicia and Veronica leave the conference room, Alicia hesitates, causing Veronica to nearly run into her from behind. Alicia’s looking into the office across the hall at the handsome man from yesterday who is sitting at a large desk. A smile flits across Alicia’s face briefly before she straightens her back, and continues walking. Veronica takes note of the office nameplate: William Gardner, Partner, and smiles knowingly to herself.

* * *

Later that day, Alicia asks Veronica to join her for a meeting in Dianne Lockhart’s office. When they enter, Dianne's partner, Will Gardner, is slouched in a chair in the corner, his tie loosened, looking less than pleased to be there. He flips through the papers on his lap disinterestedly. Veronica nervously rubs her hands down her skirt and fidgets next to Alicia.

Dianne looks up at them over her glasses. “It seems Cary thought he had a slam dunk case with the red-light photo. Good work tracking down the alibi clearing Jimal of all charges." She glances at Will before continuing. "Winning this case will have far reaching implications for the firm. It ensures we will retain Jimal's benefactor, Mr. Al-Said, as our client. Your work has secured a multimillion-dollar client for the firm. Well done, Alicia.” 

Veronica recalls the Middle Eastern man from the waiting area yesterday morning and can’t help the feeling of pride that builds in her chest at Dianne’s words.

“I can’t take credit for this one,” Alicia says, gesturing toward Veronica. “Our new investigator, Veronica Mars, followed her instincts, questioned Cary's goodwill, did the leg work, and brought me the evidence we needed to refute Cary’s claims. She should get credit for the win.”

Dianne takes off her glasses and lays them on the desk as she stands. “Veronica, welcome to the team. Nice work on this one. If you hadn’t recognized that the SA’s office was trying to use the red-light photo to pin the murder on Jimal this could’ve been a real mess.”

Veronica takes Dianne's outstretched hand in a firm handshake. “Thank you, Ms. Lockhart. I’m happy to be here.”

She notices a brief smile of pride on Mr. Gardner’s face directed at Alicia before he schools his features to once again appear less than enthusiastic with regard to their success. She hopes she hasn’t overstepped and is about to say so when he stands abruptly and says, “Thank you both, for doing _exactly_ what we expect and pay you to do.” He strides from the room, an air of tension following behind him. _That was a bit strange_.

* * *

Veronica is leaving the office later to meet Kalinda for drinks as "tradition dictates." On the way out, she stops at Alicia’s office and peeks around the door. Alicia is just finishing up a phone conversation. “You need to get them by eight-thirty Peter, don’t be late... Yeah, okay… Bye.” She hangs up the receiver and rests her face in her hands.

“Alicia?”

Alicia lifts her head with a start. “Yes, Veronica, how can I help you?”

“Actually, I just wanted to invite you out for drinks. I’m meeting Kalinda.” At the mention of Kalinda, Alicia appears to stiffen slightly, but she smiles nonetheless.

“Thank you, Veronica, I appreciate the invitation. Maybe another night. I need to be home tonight for a previous engagement. But thank you, really. You have fun.”

“Sure thing. See you Monday.”

Veronica dials Wallace as she waits for the elevator. When he answers, there’s a lot of noise on his end. Before he addresses her, she hears him say, _“No man, not this weekend, sorry,”_ then he speaks to Veronica. _“Hello?”_

“Hey, Wallace, I’m heading out for drinks with my boss to celebrate my first win. I was hoping you’d meet up with us and then we could pick up some dinner.”

 _“Ah shoot, V. I’m sorry, I forgot I had plans tonight.”_ He seems distracted by activity in the noisy background. _“Hold on, I’ll be right there,”_ he says to someone else. _“Sorry, Veronica, there’s a lot of noise here, I really gotta go. I’ll be home late tonight.”_

He hangs up then without further explanation. _That's weird, he didn't mention any plans this morning?_

* * *

“Kalinda, wait up!” A male voice cuts through the quiet evening and causes Veronica and Kalinda to both pause and turn to see Cary hurrying toward them, breathless.

“Hey, Cary, what’s up?”

“Well, my murder case just tanked, but other than that, everything’s peachy.”

Kalinda turns more fully to address him. “You can’t put this one on me, Cary, I had nothing to do with it.”

“Who then?”

“I hired a new investigator—” she indicates Veronica "—and she took the bull by the horns you might say. It was her first case with us. Want to join us for celebratory drinks?” She indicates the bar they’re standing in front of.

Cary shakes his head, perplexed. “Huh. Naw, I think I’ll pass this time. Gotta track down a murderer.” He smirks at Veronica. “Hey, I’m Cary.”

“I know. I’m Veronica. Veronica Mars.”

Cary hesitates before returning the way he came, no doubt thrown off by having underestimated Lockhart Gardner's investigative team.

Kalinda smiles as she watches him go. “This could get interesting.”

* * *

“Let’s stick to tradition," Kalinda insists. "Tequila shots.”

Veronica shakes her head, but downs her shot just the same. She hears the low rumble of a laugh from the other side of Kalinda. "Celebrating the big win I see.” He signals the bartender indicating another round.

“Hey Will, I didn’t think you’d make it. Allow me to introduce our new investigator, Veronica Mars.”

“Ahh yes, we had the pleasure of meeting earlier. Welcome to Lockhart Gardner, Veronica.” The bartender places a shot in front of each of them.

“Thank you, it’s nice to see you, Mr. Gardner.” She extends her hand and he grasps it.

“You too. Nice work today, you should be proud. Keep doing what you’re doing. You’ll be a great asset to the firm.” He downs his own shot, then raps his hands on the bar. “I need to get going.”

“Already? That was quick.” Kalinda sounds disappointed.

“Yeah, I need to be somewhere at eight forty-five and had a couple minutes to kill. Just stopped in to say hi, have a celebration shot, and scoot." As he talks, he removes a couple bills from his wallet and tosses them to the bar. "That round’s on me. See you both on Monday.”

He wastes no time lingering. Veronica raises an eyebrow at Kalinda as he leaves. “Eight forty-five? That’s oddly specific.”

They both chuckle and signal the bartender to bring another round.

* * *

At 8:40 PM, Peter has left with the children and Alicia works her way through the apartment picking up a spare sock here, putting away a clean glass there.

At 8:44 PM, she fixes her hair and makeup and studies herself in the mirror.

At 8:45 PM, she’s still at the vanity mirror, fighting anxiety, when the knock sounds at the door.

She opens the door and smiles at Will. He wastes no time: two quick steps into the foyer and he closes the door behind him, then he reaches for her, fingers entwining in her hair, thumb stroking her cheek, before he pulls her close and kisses her deeply .

They break apart, breathless. “Hi.” It seems an inadequate greeting but it’s all she’s got.

“Hi.” He drags his nose from her temple to her jaw. “You smell good.” His voice and warm breath across her ear raise goosebumps on her arms. “I’ve missed you.”

“It’s only been two days. Three hours since we saw each other at work.”

“I know, but work doesn't count. I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.”

He pulls her to him and lifts her off the floor. The joy that comes with the freedom of finally being able to kiss him, touch him, be with him, bubbles up out of her. She throws her head back and laughs, wrapping her legs around his waist. He pushes her up against the wall and kisses her passionately.

“Do you think anyone knows?”

She smiles up at him. “I think you were pretty convincing today that you’re nothing but indifferent to me.”

He pushes closer. She can feel his arousal against her hip bone. “Does that feel indifferent?”

“No. Definitely not indifferent. Bedroom, now.”

* * *

Later, as they lay in her bed, she rests her head on his chest and he runs his hand up and down her back. “This is nice. I was nervous earlier.” She lifts her head and props it on her hand so she can see him while they talk.

“You? You’re the most capable third year attorney at the firm. I’m convinced nothing makes you nervous.” He smiles down at her.

“None of that today was me. I was ready to let Jimal admit to being across campus, to take the easy out on the assault. That new investigator really saved my case.” She leans her head against him again.

“She did good.”

“She’s young.” Alicia sighs against Will's chest.

“Yeah, but Kalinda left her resume on my desk, she's qualified: several _years_ of investigator experience, she was licensed in California at _eighteen_ , a psychology degree from Stanford, _and_ she just finished 1L at Columbia." Alicia feels uncomfortable at the mention of Kalinda. She rolls onto her back, then sits up and faces him. 

"I need to tell you something."

"Okay."

"Will, it's something that blurs the line between personal and professional. I haven't shared it with anyone."

Will nods at her. "Alicia, we've been dancing around this… _attraction_ for longer than I'd like to admit. There's bound to be some blurred lines. We can handle it… together."

"Well… I discovered that when Kalinda worked at the State's Attorney's office…" She takes a deep cleansing breath, willing herself to continue. "Kalinda and Peter..."

"Wait… What?" Will sits up abruptly. _"What?!"_

"I know. I'm still processing it. But I promise it won't affect work."

"Alicia, are you kidding me right now? I don't care about work. I care about YOU! Jesus, he doesn't deserve your loyalty."

Alicia drops her head. "Will, I—the kids—" Will sighs and reaches for her hand.

She doesn't know how to explain to him the dilemma she has regarding her marriage. He doesn't have kids. He could never understand. 

"Look, I don't want to talk about work, or Peter, or Kalinda. I just want to spend the weekend making up time. Together."

She smiles, and leans into him. "Me too."


	2. The Green Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Based on The Good Wife S3E2. Please note - everything I know about the law and courtrooms I learned from TV!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my beta [Aurora2020](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aurora2020) (aka cmc545)! She's been so supportive of this idea from day one!
> 
> Thank you to VM Fic Club for all the support and encouragement. Join us here: http://bit.ly/vmfcdiscord it's fun to discuss all your favorite VM Fanfics!

**THE GOOD INVESTIGATOR**

**A Veronica Mars/The Good Wife Crossover FanFiction**

**CHAPTER TWO – THE GREEN ROOM**

* * *

Veronica is in Wallace’s small kitchen mixing up pancakes Saturday morning when the door to the apartment opens and closes with a bang, startling her.

“Wallace?”

“Mornin’ V.” He sounds tired.

“Where’d you go? I figured you were sleeping in?” She almost turns away when a thought occurs to her. “Wait a second.” She sets the mixing bowl on the counter. “Wait just a gosh darn second. You didn’t come home last night, did you? Is this what they call a 'walk of shame'? Who is she?” Veronica waggles her eyebrows at him as she goads him.

“Naw, it’s not like that, really. Just a late night with a friend so I crashed on the extra bed in his hotel room.”

“Oh really? What friend is this? You didn’t even mention plans to me yesterday morning.” She waves her mixing spoon at him teasingly and wonders why he’s being so secretive. Her spidey senses are tingling—something feels off.

“I know, and I’m sorry 'bout that. I kind of forgot in all the excitement of you arriving and moving in. I think I’m going to crash for a couple more hours.” He turns to head down the hall towards his bedroom, but Veronica has no intention of allowing him to get away that easily.

“Hold up there, who’s your friend?”

“Ahh,” he doesn’t turn back to her, “no one you know, really. ‘Night V.” He continues to his room.

Veronica scrambles for an idea to keep him close where she can figure out what's going on with him this morning. Her curiosity outweighs her concern that he'll see through her ploy. “But I wanted you to take me shopping today.” She’s going to let him believe she’s ignoring his evasiveness about this _friend_ of his… for now.

_That_ has him turning back toward her. “Shopping? Me?”

Veronica nonchalantly flips her pancakes as she answers, “Yeah, I don’t have enough clothes for this job. I’m going to need to class up my wardrobe.”

She had saved up some money anticipating the need for suitable clothes for a law firm internship, and she’s prepared to dig into it now that she’s landed the investigator job at Lockhart Gardner. She turns in Wallace’s direction. “Whaddya say? Show a girl where the good shopping is? Help make it bearable.” 

She tilts her head to one side, sticks out her lower lip in a pout, and pleads with her eyes. Wallace groans and runs a hand over his face. “Okay. If I have to, but not until I get _at least_ two more hours of sleep, deal?”

_That’s fair. I can let him sleep. He really does look a mess..._

Veronica grins at the win. “That works. I have to meet the movers at The Lock Up, but I’ll be back in a couple hours. Good night, Wallace,” she sing-songs and turns back to the pancake griddle.

The Lock Up, a self storage facility she’d found to store her furniture, is not far from the apartment. The moving van had charged her a bit more to add the additional stop, but it will make things easier in the short term. Wallace’s place just isn’t big enough for everything she is moving from New York. 

She hopes she’ll be able to find a place of her own within a couple months. She doesn’t want to overstay her welcome and she knows she’ll be feeling the need for her own space by then. She’s grateful that Wallace has agreed to allow her to stay without question but she doesn’t want to take advantage of his goodwill.

* * *

Veronica had not been able to wheedle any further information from Wallace the entire weekend. Apparently he was not interested in sharing details about his Chicago friends… yet!

Shopping had been a successful endeavor though, and Monday morning Veronica wears her new red suit to the office. The skirt hits above her knee and fits her well. She feels confident and ready for anything. But when she turns the corner near the elevator she runs into something she is _not_ ready for, not in a million years.

“Sorry, excuse me—” her eyes trail up the hard masculine chest her hands have landed on—it was either that or fall to the floor in her new suit. Her gaze continues up to the man’s grinning mouth and finally his twinkling eyes. She blinks, then stutters, “Lo-logan?” She quickly pulls her hands away and takes a hasty step back, steadying herself with a hand on the wall. 

“Well, well, well, Veronica Mars. I was hoping I’d run into you today.” He folds his arms across his chest and rocks forward and back with delight. “Of course, I didn’t figure upon it happening literally, but when I heard you were working here now I did wonder if our paths would cross.”

Veronica’s struggling to recover from the shock of running into him, _here_ , of all places. After all it’s been _four_ years, and she had no reason to believe him to be in Chicago.

“Logan?” She asks again.

“Yep! In the flesh.” He grins.

Veronica still feels a bit dazed. _Did I hit my head when we collided?_ She runs her hands over her hair and pulls down her skirt, suddenly a bit self conscious of its shorter length. Logan’s eyes drop to her hands, not missing a thing.

“But, why are you _here_ Logan? Where I work.”

“I have an appointment." When Veronica's comprehension skills fail, Logan continues, "to meet with my lawyer.”

Veronica chokes a bit on her surprise. “Your lawyer?”

“Yes, Veronica, my lawyer.” Logan sighs with exasperation, and then continues slower as if talking to a child, while Veronica glares at him. “I moved all my legal crap here a little over a year ago. 

“Wallace was moving to Chi-town, and I can work anywhere. It’s easier to keep things confidential and on the down-low halfway across the country from Hollywood.” His hands are moving the whole time he’s talking. “I value my privacy Veronica. So, here I am. 

“They take care of royalties, the estate, any legal issues that come up, and they deal with Trina, so I don’t have to.”

As Logan talks Veronica’s mind is spinning. One word stands out to her. “Wait a minute, back up the bus. _Wallace?_ As in, my BFF Wallace?”

“Yeah, that’s the only Wallace I know!”

Veronica’s scowl deepens. “What would _Wallace_ have to do with where you seek out legal counsel? What would _Wallace_ have to do with any of this? With _anything_ regarding you?” 

Her voice has risen in volume and pitch. Taking note of the people moving through the lobby around her she tries to temper her frustration with a few deep breaths while Logan is studying her curiously.

“Wallace and I are friends, Veronica.” He says it simply, as if he’s repeating himself for the hundredth time, but Veronica is still struggling to understand. “We have been for several years now. Guess you weren’t much interested in what was going on in Neptune after you left.” She tries not to roll her eyes, she _really_ does, but she’s not successful.

“Yeah, well, about that—”

“Bygones.” Logan brushes his hand across the air as if literally brushing away all the time that has passed.

Veronica stares at him for a long moment, really taking him in for the first time. He’s dressed in a button down dress shirt and dark slacks and he seems so grown up, and of course he does, it’s been over four years after all. _He looks good._

“So, let me get this straight.” She forces her eyes back to his face. “You and Wallace _Fennell_... are friends? And, what? He told you I worked here now?”

“Veronica, you’re staying in _my bedroom!_ So, yes, Wallace did let me know why I couldn’t stay with him this weekend.”

“ _Your_ bedroom?” Wallace is really going to get it when she sees him tonight. This must be the “friend” he tied one on with Friday night. “I thought it was a guest bedroom.”

“I suppose, _technically_ , it is a guest bedroom. But when I’m in town I normally stay with Wallace.”

“Where are you staying then?”

“Wallace made me get a hotel room, Veronica. _At the last minute!_ Do you know how hard it is to find a decent hotel room in Chicago on a weekend during Octoberfest? Do you?” He dramatically drops his arms and leans against the wall dropping his head back to punctuate his frustration. 

Veronica can’t help her smile and she shakes her head at his dramatics. “My apologies Logan. Really. Wallace didn’t even tell me he was in touch with you, let alone expecting you for the weekend. How often do you come to town?”

“At least quarterly. Sometimes more often just for fun. But quarterly for my appointments here.” He raises his head and stands up straight to greet someone behind her and Veronica turns to see Alicia Florrick approaching.

“Mr. Echolls, good to see you again.” Alicia stretches out her hand to take his in a firm, professional hand shake.

“Alicia, I’ve told you to call me Logan.” And he winks at Alicia. _Winks!_ Veronica feels a tightness in her chest she can’t identify. _He’s flirting with his lawyer —I guess some things never change!_

Alicia turns to Veronica. “Good morning Veronica, I see you’ve met Mr. Echolls.”

Veronica nods. “Yeah, Logan and I go way back.”

“Oh good. Why don’t you join us for this meeting then? I think we’ll be able to use you on this case.” With that Alicia turns to lead them to a conference room.

Veronica looks at Logan and stage whispers just loud enough for him to hear, “Case? Logan, what kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?”

She doesn’t miss the disappointment on his face as he shakes his head at her assumption and turns away from her to follow Alicia. She immediately regrets her words and wishes she could take them back, but it’s too late.

She reaches out and grasps his wrist loosely. “Logan wait, I’m sorry.”

He looks back at her, “Can we discuss this later Veronica?” He indicates Alicia’s retreating back with a jerk of his head.

The two of them follow Alicia to the conference room across from the partners’ offices. The three of them take seats at one end of the long table, Veronica and Logan facing each other and Alicia to Veronica’s right.

Logan pulls a hardcover book out of his leather messenger bag and slides it across the table to them. _The Green Room_ by Lester Turan is splashed across an impressive image of a surfer emerging from a wave completely encircling him. Veronica can’t help but think of Logan as the surfer, his strong body balancing on the board. She glances up at him, “Who is Lester Turan?”

“That’s my pen name. I wrote this book.”

Veronica is momentarily stunned; but it fits—Logan as an author. He was always good with words and she remembers how much he enjoyed reading, too. 

“Wow, Logan, that’s... incredible. I’m really proud of you. This is what you meant by working from anywhere.” Their eyes meet across the table. “Wow.”

One side of his mouth lifts up into a half smile and his eyes sparkle. “Thanks Veronica. I hope that means you’ll help me find a way out from under the libel charges then.” Feeling thoroughly chastised for her earlier assumption she sits back to listen.

Alicia explains to them both that, fortunately, in a libel case, the burden of proof rests on the plaintiff. As long as Mr. Dorian can’t _prove_ that the book is libelous, Logan will not suffer consequences.

“Can I borrow this copy to read tonight?” Veronica asks him.

“Sure, you can have it.” He smirks. “I’ll even autograph it for you.” He pulls the book back towards himself, and as he signs the inside cover with a flourish that is all too familiar to Veronica, he adds, “Do you remember Bodie Chang?”

“Yeah, I took pictures of him once for The Navigator. Is your book about him?”

“Well, the book is about the professional surfing circuit as a whole, but chapter nine focuses on Bodie’s death and the speculation around the cause.”

“He died surfing?” Veronica looks up from the book, and Logan nods in response. “I’m so sorry to hear that. What happened?”

Logan takes a deep breath and looks from Veronica to Alicia and back as if bracing himself for a long story. “He was surfing Mavericks and testing a new inflatable vest designed by an older surfer, Shane Dorian. Why they chose to do their testing at Mavericks, I’ll never understand.” He pauses, lost in thought. 

“Apparently the vest failed to inflate when Bodie pulled the ripcord. If it had worked Bodie wouldn’t have drowned. The vest wasn’t ready to be tested, and Dorian should not have put Bodie in that position. Bodie was looking for new sponsor money, and saw an opportunity to get in on the ground floor in inflatable vests. I’m confident he would still be alive today if it wasn’t for that vest.”

Veronica wonders if Logan was there that day. If he had had to witness his friend’s death. She shudders. 

Alicia picks up the narrative, “Mr. Dorian is claiming that Mr. Echoll’s book is preventing him from getting backers to manufacture his product. He was in talks with Patagonia, an outdoor gear company. Dorian claims they were ready to start mass producing the vests right around the time the book came out, and he blames _The Green Room_ for them backing out.”

Veronica finds it difficult to think of Logan as ‘Mr. Echolls’. She wishes Alicia would take Logan’s request to heart and just call him Logan. She shivers as Aaron’s evil face crosses her mind and she knows it must be difficult for Logan to be addressed that way repeatedly.

“So, what do we need to do? I can request police reports, autopsy reports and such. Will that help?”

“I have all that here and more.” Alicia rests her hand on a stack of manilla folders. “We have to refute the claims Mr. Dorian’s attorneys are making. It will help if we can show facts that back up Mr. Echolls’ view of what happened. Let’s go through the chapter and the reports. As long as we can back everything up with fact there is no defamation.”

“Alicia.” Will Gardner has stuck his head in the room. “Can I see you a minute?”

“Sure Will, be right there.” She turns back to Logan and Veronica. “Why don’t you two start reviewing the file, I’ll be right back.”

After she leaves Veronica turns to Logan, her eyes shining. “Can you see them?”

He looks over her shoulder through the glass wall. “Yeah, why?”

“I’m trying to figure out what’s going on between them.”

“Oh yeah? Did Will finally close the deal?”

She slaps his forearm across the table playfully. “Logan, you _know_ about them? Tell me everything.”

Logan grins back at her. “I’ll tell you what I know over dinner tonight. Yeah?”

_Darn him, he knows I can’t resist the pull of information. Or dinner._ “Ugh. Okay, yes, dinner tonight, but I’m inviting Wallace.”

Logan grins like the Cheshire cat and sits back in his chair, his hands linked behind his head looking entirely too proud of himself.

* * *

“I interviewed for the job back at the end of July. I was so intrigued by the idea of combining investigating, which I miss like crazy, with law. It adds a bit of respectability that Dad appreciates.”

As she talks Logan is watching her from across the small dining table with a hint of pride on his face. 

“It sounds perfect for you. I've only met Kalinda once, but what I know about her reminds me of you.”

“What, the leather jackets?”

“No, not _just_ the leather jackets.” He feigns insult and smiles up at her from under his eyelashes, his voice takes on a serious tone, levity gone. “From what I've heard, she’s pretty dogged in her search for the truth, sometimes blurs the lines of ethics a bit, but in the end, she finds justice one way or another.”

She smiles at him with the knowledge that even now, he _gets_ her. The waiter appears with their entrees and she’s thankful for the distraction. Sitting here, across from Logan, at a fancy restaurant is a bit surreal. She curses Wallace, not for the first time today, for turning down her invitation to join them. He knows he’s in trouble.

Logan had made reservations at an Italian place around the corner from Lockhart-Gardner. They spent the day pouring over Logan’s interview transcripts and the reports from the SDPD and Balboa County Medical Examiner regarding Bodie’s death. Every detail had to be cross checked with any details mentioned in Logan’s book. 

As long as everything in the book was based on fact, there would be nothing to support a libel case against Logan. By the end of the day, Alicia was confident she’d be able to get the case dropped completely. 

That news was a big relief and they had left the office for dinner in good spirits. Veronica figures most clients wouldn’t sit at a conference table all day helping with research. Most clients would just leave it to her—it is her job after all. But Logan would hear none of it, he was eager to point out passages and explain his research process as they went. 

Since arriving at the restaurant they’d been bringing each other up to speed on the past four years. It was comfortable and fun. Veronica started to wonder why she’d ever hesitated in calling him when she thought of him over the years.

“Well? When do I get the scoop on Alicia and Will? What do you know?”

Logan looks at her pointedly and takes a sip of his sparkling water. “Tell me what _you_ know. Because I’m pretty sure the last time I was here the sexual tension was as yet unresolved.”

“Hmm. Well, they smile at each other a lot when they think no one’s watching. Stand a bit too close. And I get the feeling they’re trying too hard to throw suspicion off.”

“That sounds about right. Maybe nothing’s happened yet.”

“Friday, Alicia’s ex—Peter, right?— was picking up the kids at eight-thirty, and Will had to be somewhere at eight forty-five. Coincidence?” She raises a single brow at him over her pasta.

“By itself, probably, but add in the rest and I’d say they have some _‘splainin’ to do!”_ They both laugh at Logan’s Ricky Ricardo impression. “Sounds like she and Peter have finally separated then.”

“I agree. I think something’s going on with her and Will.”

“They were at Georgetown Law together.”

“Really?” _How did I not know that already? I’m slipping._

“Yeah, the diplomas in both their offices are from Georgetown, class of ‘92.” Veronica wonders why she never took advantage of Logan’s natural tendency to snoop. He’d have been an asset on many an investigation, and she silently chastises her younger self for the missed opportunity.

“Do you think they knew each other there?” Veronica’s eyes are shining with curiosity and the excitement of a case, he knows that look well.

“I know that when the scandal went down two years ago and her husband went to jail she came to work at Lockhart Gardner on Will’s recommendation even though she hadn’t practiced law for nearly a decade. My previous lawyer would complain about the unfairness of it all. Eventually, he was basically pushed out to make room for Alicia. I’d bet money that Will and Alicia were, at the very least, friends at Georgetown.”

“Law School is hard. It doesn’t hurt to have a study buddy or two.”

“Lots of shenanigans in the library?”

When she catches his meaning her mind takes a turn to one particular library encounter with the man across from her, and she feels the heat of it on her cheeks. “No. I didn’t mean that.” But Logan just waggles his eyebrows at her. 

Suddenly he’s serious again, “Do you really think you want to go digging into the private lives of your employers?”

She shrugs. “It’s entertaining. Makes the work day go faster.” He shakes his head at her.

“You might find out something you’ll regret knowing.”

* * *

They share a cab back to Wallace’s and hang out with him for several hours. Wallace and Logan regale her with stories of their last three years at Hearst. She feels guilty that Wallace never felt he could share any of it with her before. 

“So, how did this—” she gestures between the two men, “—even happen?”

Logan looks at Wallace. “You never told her?”

“No, man. You asked me not to.”

A look passes between Logan and Wallace that Veronica doesn’t quite understand before Logan turns back to her.

“The summer you left, Cliff—you remember Cliff—was worried I was spending money too fast. I had to make what I had last until the next tier of my trust opened. I needed to get out of the Grande. 

“I rented an apartment from Wallace’s mom. When she met me and realized who I was, she made Sunday dinners part of the lease agreement. It was a pretty small studio, but I spent most of my time on campus anyway.

“She kind of subjected Wallace and I to each other whether we wanted it or not. I suppose it was her way of making sure I was properly taken care of.”

“Sunday dinner? You, Logan?”

“Yeah, you’ve met Mrs. Fennell, when she lays down the law you listen.”

Veronica looks from one to the other. Seems her boys are more than just friends, they’ve become family. Brought together through Sunday dinners at the Fennell home. She can't help but feel a bit left out.

The thought of them bonding, her best friend and her oldest friend, has her welling up with emotion. She couldn’t be more surprised at this development. She makes an excuse of needing the bathroom to escape and calm herself a bit.

She’s so proud of both of them. Wallace obviously set aside his preconceived opinions of Logan long enough to get to know the Logan she’s always known. And Logan, in turn, has done well for himself with a successful career he enjoys. She splashes some cool water on her face, takes a few deep breaths and returns to the living room.

It’s nearing 11pm and both Wallace and Veronica have work in the morning so Logan gets ready to head back to his hotel. He and Wallace say goodbye with a long and complicated handshake and Veronica walks him to the door.

“Sorry I stole your bedroom.”

“No worries V. Tonight made it all worthwhile. Will I see you in court?”

Suddenly she’s got a perplexed look on her face. “Why is the case being tried here in Chicago?”

“Gant Publishing is based here now. Remember Casey Gant?”

Her eyes are wide with surprise. “Casey’s in Chicago too?”

“Yeah, most of the time.”

“Why aren’t you staying with him?”

Logan laughs. “Because his live-in girlfriend is a real bitch and her kid is a brat.”

On that note he spins through the doorway, graceful as ever. Over his shoulder he throws out a “Night, Mars” as he goes.

“Night, Lo.”

* * *

Wallace had snuck off to his room when Veronica walked Logan to the door. She takes the empty popcorn bowl to the kitchen, picks up the empty beer bottles, and heads to her own room for the night.

She lays in bed later that night wondering at the turn of events the day took. She’d often wondered what Logan had done with his life, but never imagined that her own best friend would not only have the answers, but also be a part of Logan’s life. All she’d have had to do was ask and Wallace would have known every detail of how Logan had turned himself around. But she’d never asked.

She thinks about how she got here, the crossroad she took. Dad was not pleased about her dropping out of Columbia, but she could not justify wracking up two more years of law school sized student loans when in her heart she knew it wasn’t quite the right path for her. 

She marvels that the decision to leave law school put her right back into Logan’s orbit with a job at Lockhart Gardner. Wallace had to have known that her interview was at the same firm Logan uses, right? Why didn’t he clue her in then? Did he really think the interview was just a passing fancy? Did he tell Logan about it at the time?

Veronica rolls over trying to get comfortable in the bed. It’s proving more difficult tonight. Now that she knows that Logan usually sleeps in this bed she can’t help but imagine him here, in this space. Has he sat at the desk to write, laptop open before him? 

Are the clothes in the dresser and closet Logan’s? She had thought they were Wallace’s and didn’t think twice about sharing the space, but sharing it with Logan seems almost intimate somehow.

_UGH! I have to get to sleep or I’ll risk being late for court in the morning._

She rolls over once again and drifts off as she wonders what side of the bed Logan usually sleeps on.

* * *

“You are in big trouble Mister.” She’s running late for court after a restless night, but she still has a bone to pick with her best friend.

“Who? Me?” Wallace looks behind himself to see who she might be addressing but he is, in fact, the only one in the kitchen. 

“Why didn’t you tell me I might run into Logan _at my work?_ Or that he might be put out cause I’m sleeping _in his bed.”_

“Come on V, don’t be like that. You _never,_ and I mean _never,_ wanted to hear about Logan. Eventually, it’d been so long it was surely going to be a big thing and, quite frankly, I never guessed your paths would cross. You were so adamant about him staying out of your life.”

She studies him for a long moment from across the kitchen going over what he’d just said. Eventually, she nods. “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“Yeah, okay.”

“That’s it?”

She considers him a moment longer before putting him out of his misery. “Yeah. That’s it. I understand where you’re coming from, and you’re right, I didn’t want to hear about Logan for a long time. But—” she turns to pick up her bag for work, “—last night was fun. Comfortable even. I’m glad you and Logan are friends. Have a good day Wallace.”

She departs for work leaving Wallace, mouth agape, wondering what just happened. 

* * *

“Underwater, amid the chaos, it’s hard to know which way is up,” the witness describes the fear and anxiety during a surfing accident as Veronica studies Logan from behind.

He had caught her eye when she’d arrived and she’d sat on an available bench behind him. He’s dressed in what is no doubt an expensive suit— tailored to fit just so. He looks good. Professional. Respectable. She watches as he leans over to tell Alicia something and he looks… capable.

Veronica tries to focus on the proceedings, to learn everything she can by watching Alicia. Alicia picks apart Dorian’s case bit by bit using the research they’d pulled together yesterday. Veronica can envision herself like Alicia one day. Competent. Confident. Classy.

Alicia stands to address the judge. “Your Honor, I’d like to make a motion at this time to dismiss this lawsuit. This is a libel suit, not a criminal case. The plaintiff needs not only to prove that my client’s book has caused injury, but also that it is, in fact, false.”

Dorian’s attorney stands to interrupt. “Which we’re doing.”

“No.” Alicia continues, “As we’ve shown time and again this morning, there is no evidence to contradict the narrative in chapter nine of _The Green Room._ A true statement is not considered defamation under the law.”

The judge takes only a moment to consider Alicia. “I must concur with Mrs. Florrick on this one. It is up to the plaintiff to show proof of falsehood and they have failed to do so. Case dismissed.” The bang of the gavel echoes through the courtroom.

Logan sits stunned in front of Veronica. “Wow. He dismissed so quickly. I… I'm stunned.”

Alicia is packing away her files, “I’m not. All that work yesterday paid off.” She turns away to accept a call, and Logan turns toward Veronica.

“Thank you.” He stands and lifts Veronica into a spinning hug that catches her off guard. 

“Oh.” She squeaks out in surprise.

“Sorry.” Logan puts her down gently and runs a hand through his hair nervously. “Guess I was more anxious about how this would go today than I thought. I’m glad you were here Veronica.”

“Me too.”

“Okay, you two.” Alicia turns back to them. “I’m heading back for a meeting. Veronica, thank you, for all your help on this one; I’ll see you back at the office?” Veronica nods as Alicia turns to Logan. “And Mr. Echolls, we’ll be in touch.” She shakes his hand.

“I really do wish you’d just call me Logan.”

Alicia smiles. “Very well Logan _,_ I’ll remember this time.”

Then she turns and is gone, leaving Veronica and Logan alone in the courtroom. Veronica runs her hand over the smooth surface of the table and looks around wistfully. Then turns to Logan with a smile, “Lunch?”

He nods. “Sure.”

As they turn to head out of the courtroom together she adds, “I want to hear all about those Sunday dinners.”

* * *

Alicia enters Will’s office twenty minutes later, a bit wind blown and breathless. “I got here as soon as I could. Everything okay?”

Will stands and circles his desk toward her with a sly smile on his face. “I saw you in court today. Good work.”

“You were there?”

Will looks down at the paperwork in his hands. “Just for a bit. It turns me on to watch you work.”

“Mmm,” Alicia raises an eyebrow, but makes a show of studying the paperwork in her own hands. “I can role play, do you want to be the judge or the plaintiff?” she teases.

Will shifts the papers from one hand to the other in an effort to maintain their ruse. “I want to take you... now.” The low timbre of his voice sends shivers up Alicia’s spine. She sits to hide her discomfort.

“Well, that might prove difficult.” She crosses one leg over the other.

“Hmm. In my bathroom.” He directs as they both try their best to appear in conversation about the files between them. Alicia is turned on from the anticipation alone.

“Mm-hmm.” Alicia glances at her watch. “We have twenty minutes.”

“I’ll go first.” Will turns his back on her to approach the bathroom. Alicia glances up and catches Dianne’s eye as she walks by the office.

“Oh, Will, we’re being watched.” Will immediately diverts his attention from the bathroom door to the bookshelf and does a convincing job of looking for a particular title.

“Where is that book? Hmm…” He turns to Alicia, “to be continued.”

“Mm-hmm.” Alicia agrees with a smile. _Secrets are hot._


	3. Get A Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [](https://www.flickr.com/photos/153394136@N06/50040097221/)
> 
> _cover art by Alina Sorokina_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Throughout this chapter I used dialogue from The Good Wife S3 E3.

Veronica enters the lobby of The Drake where the Lockhart Gardner lawyers are in mediation, and she takes in the opulence. The ornate chandeliers overhead, the dark, polished woodwork, the colorful flower arrangements on every surface. _Woah. Beats working a stake out at the Camelot._

She boards the elevator to head to the tenth floor as instructed and comes face to face with Will Gardner on the phone. 

“Diane, we—I’ll call you back.” He pockets his phone, and just before Veronica greets him he quickly and discreetly shakes his head at her. Taking the hint Veronica turns and notices the woman boarding the elevator behind her. The new addition starts up a conversation with Will behind Veronica.

“I think the mediator’s lying to us.” 

This must be opposing counsel because Veronica doesn’t recognize her from the office. 

“I think you’re right.” 

Veronica meets Will’s eyes for a moment in the reflection.

Kalinda had given Veronica a very brief rundown of the case just twenty minutes ago. Will’s client, Maggie Reese, is suing her surgeon. Dr. Farland implanted a device in her back—a spinal cord stimulator or SCS—he'd invented that wasn’t yet FDA approved. 

Dr. Farland claimed that Ms. Reese had given him permission to choose which device, but she assumed that he’d choose one of the FDA approved models that were in the brochure he’d presented her with. She didn’t even realize what he had done until her back pain began making life unbearable. 

“Two hours and a bottle of wine, we can settle this.” 

_That’s a bit forward._ Veronica wonders if Alicia is in the hotel or if she knows this attorney has designs on her man.

“Just this? Why not the Middle East?” 

Veronica has to stifle a chuckle at this. It’s such a Logan thing to say and she thinks maybe she might understand the game Will is playing here. 

Logan’s been on her mind more than usual since their evening with Wallace. It’s frustrating that after years of successfully _not_ thinking about him that the smallest thing reminds her of him. Like an offhand comment overheard from her boss. At work. _Focus, Veronica!_

“It’s game theory with imperfect information, Will. Why don’t we make it perfect?” 

In the reflection, the other attorney is looking at Will like she wants to eat him for dinner.

“I thought you liked imperfect. Poker over chess.”

Veronica imagines Will is an excellent poker player. She's been watching him, and he hasn’t given anything away. _Logan’s a good poker player. We should have game night. Ugh!_

The elevator doors slide open and Veronica hangs back, studying the room number signs to decide which way to go. She follows slowly behind the pair at a safe distance. Will seems surprised that the other lawyer is trailing him down the hall. 

“You sure you’re on the right floor?”

The woman chuckles, “I’m serious. We used to settle a lot of things in the old days.”

Will shakes his head and replies, “We used to _un_ settle a lot of things, too. I’m going into my room now.” 

He stops in front of his room. Veronica continues past them at a slow pace, still listening.

“You haven’t heard our case yet. It’s a good one.”

Will pauses in opening his door. 

“Then I can’t wait. Good-bye, Celeste.”

“My number. When you’re ready to negotiate.” 

Veronica has just about run out of hallway to continue her ruse when she hears the elevator chime. She turns slowly and heads back toward Will who’s still standing outside the suite door. 

Without looking at Veronica he speaks to her, “Did you catch all that?”

“Yeah, she’s a piece of work.”

Will nods his agreement as he adds, “Yeah, well, some _things_ never change, but here’s the thing Ms. Mars, _I’ve_ changed. I need to adjust how I handle Celeste.” He raises an eyebrow at her asking her if she gets what he’s saying. “So, I’m going to need your help on this.”

“Say no more, I get it. First of all, it’s Veronica, please. And second, where do you suggest I start? I doubt _I_ can charm information out of her. Something tells me that’d be quite ineffective.”

Will leans against the wall next to the door, a pensive look on his face as he thinks for a moment. _Logan leans like that. Oh, for fucks sake! Pull yourself together Veronica! One evening and he’s wormed his way back into my head already. He probably hasn’t given me a second thought._ With some effort she directs her focus back on Will and her assignment.

“We need to get some inkling of their bottom line in mediation. It’d help if we understood their strategy more but Celeste’s been unusually close lipped in that regard. I don’t know much about her team but I can provide you with the deposition transcripts; maybe you’ll find something in them that would get your foot in the door somehow. In the meantime, we’ll hold to our original ask—stir things up a bit for the other side.”

Veronica’s head is spinning with scenarios that might get her in that hotel room. 

“I don’t have many Chicago contacts yet, but I know how to be sneaky. I already have ideas.”

“Don’t tell me.” He holds up a hand and pushes himself off the wall to stand and enter the suite. “It’s better if I don’t know. Also better if you don’t run into the mediator here in the hallway. If we can’t reach an agreement we’ll be here all weekend so clear your schedule, and get a room.”

Veronica clicks her tongue and shoots finger guns at him and immediately regrets it. _How old are you, Veronica, twelve?_ She straightens her back, turning to start to the elevators before asking, “Do you know what suite opposing counsel is in?”

### 

Veronica pockets a listening device, her phone, and a pair of bluetooth ear buds. She stows her bag under the sink in the restroom, as far back as she can reach, tucked behind a stack of toilet paper. 

She emerges from the lady’s room in the hall outside the hotel’s kitchen with her hair in a high pony tail and a pair of dark rimmed glasses on her face. Carrying a few easy disguise pieces in her messenger bag has come in handy on more than one occasion.

In the kitchen break room she dons a black apron from a hook and enters the staging area where she studies the room service order slips. She’s not surprised to find an order for the room Celeste and her team are in. A working lunch makes sense if they want to be able to go home this weekend. 

Veronica waits. Studying the routine of the area as other servers come and go. She busies herself wrapping silverware until the correct rolling tray is in the queue. She maneuvers herself in front of another staff member to ensure she gets the cart for Celeste’s suite and then takes the service elevator to the sixth floor pushing the cart before her.

When Veronica enters the suite she notices Celeste right away; she’s laughing, and the man standing with her does not look amused. Veronica averts her face as she passes, this will be easier if Celeste doesn’t recognize her from the elevator. She wheels the cart to the table across from a pair of younger lawyers working over a stack of files.

“I’m glad you think it’s funny. I thought we were making progress.” 

There’s a mirror on the wall in front of Veronica and she can see Celeste lift her face to the ceiling. 

“Oh, we _are_ making progress. Mr. Gardner has a tell. When he’s in trouble, he doubles down.” 

Veronica grins to herself knowing that Will’s plan to hold to the original offer is throwing Celeste off her game. 

“So we’re lowering our offer.”

“You don’t think the issues here are too serious to treat like gambling?”

“No, gambling is too serious to treat like these issues. We’re lowering our offer.” 

Veronica takes her time setting up the lunch service and listening to Celeste’s conversation with the mediator. She smiles at the young men working at the other table. Upon closer scrutiny they appear to be closer to Veronica’s age, interns maybe? One smiles back and winks and she figures she has an in so she smiles back and lowers her eyes flirtatiously. 

While he’s a bit distracted she leans back and discreetly places the listening device on the underside of the countertop where she’s set up the lunch and beverage service. Then she turns, exits the room, and dials into the listening device on her phone. She connects her blue tooth ear buds, and when she’s certain the bug is functioning properly, proceeds towards the elevator. She passes only one man in the hallway.

In her ear she hears knocking, and then Celeste greeting someone. She looks back over her shoulder and watches the man she just passed enter the suite. 

“Sorry, I’m a bit early.”

“No problem, Doctor, please come in. Lunch was just delivered. This is Mr. Protopapas the mediator on the case.”

As Veronica listens she wonders at the ethics involved. Should Celeste be introducing Dr. Farland to the mediator? She makes a mental note to ask Will when next she sees him. 

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Protopapas.”

Veronica hears Celeste speaking very clearly, she must be standing at the lunch service table. 

“Dr. Farland was stopping by for lunch. But if you have any questions…”

The mediator interrupts, “Ms. Serrano, could I speak with you?” 

Apparently he is having the same thoughts as Veronica as to the legal ethics. The pair comes out into the hallway and Veronica has to duck behind a housekeeping cart to keep from being seen.

“This is really inappropriate.”

Celeste scoffs, “We were having lunch. It’s been on the books for weeks.”

“I am not listening to any evidence off the record, ma’am.”

“And I am not offering any. I’m standing _on_ the record.”

The mediator rubs a hand over his face. 

“So is the plaintiff, and they offer a convincing case.”

“An easily-refuted case.”

“How do you figure?” 

Veronica would like to hear the answer to that as well.

“Jason Doyle. Zuggler Med project manager. Deposition 207, page 13. Question: So you believe you were within your rights to manufacture this SCS device, and Dr. Farland was within his rights to implant it in his patient?”

As Celeste continues to quote the transcript, Veronica makes note of the depo and page numbers so she can reference it later, then decides to head to the elevator. Her knees are hurting from squatting so long— _I really should stretch before taking on a surveillance case_ —and she needs to plan her next steps. 

She pops up from her hiding place abruptly, hoping it will look like she just exited the room behind her, and heads to the elevator only half listening to the conversation in her ear. Celeste and the mediator never look her way.

The elevator door has just about closed when she hears a male voice call out, “Hold the elevator.” 

She pushes the hold open button just in time and as luck would have it, the cute intern from Celeste’s team gets on the elevator with her. His face lights up with recognition and Veronica offers a sweet finger wave. Time to pull out her flirty ‘Amber’ persona.

“Hi there, I hope you all enjoyed your lunch.” 

He smiles back, dimples and sparkling green eyes, “Lunch was great, thanks.” 

A moment of silence passes before he confidently turns to her and leans his shoulder on the wall. 

“I hope this doesn’t seem too forward, but when does your shift end?”

 _That didn't take long, I guess I’ve still got it._ Then she reminds herself that lawyers are an arrogant bunch, maybe she’s not surprised after all. She turns up the ditzy blond act. 

“I’m on shift for several more hours. What about you? Are you, like, a lawyer or something?”

“I’m a third year law student at Loyola.” She can practically see his chest swelling as he gloats. “I’m interning at Monty & Columbech this semester.” 

“That sounds so important, what’re you working on in there? Is it cool?” She throws in a head tilt for good measure.

“Yeah, it is. Maybe you’d like to have a drink with me after your shift and we could talk more.”

 _Yahtzee!_ She twirls a piece of hair that’s fallen from her ponytail around one finger. 

“Yeah, that’d be fun. Here, give me your phone and I’ll put my number in it, you can text me later. What’s your name?”

“James.”

When she hands back James' phone, his new contact “Amber” is displayed on the screen. They part ways in the lobby. 

“See you later James.”

### 

Veronica returns the apron to the kitchen break room and retrieves her messenger bag from the restroom cupboard. She runs into Will in the lobby where he hands her a file folder containing the deposition transcripts, and she quickly brings him up to date on her progress. He’s on his way to meet with the metro-editor at the Vindicator and he invites her to join him. 

He explains that a reporter contacted Ms. Reese and is about to release a story about Dr. Farland that will further the defense's case. He had assumed he knew who was behind the story but discovered his contact had retired three months prior. He’s a bit miffed he spent $325 on a bottle of Macallan to butter her up. Instead, it’s been wasted on a newbie reporter itching for a break to make her name. 

As they approach Gretchen Battista’s cubicle, Logan stands with a gift bag in his hand, the unmistakable Macallan logo visible on the box top within.

Will gasps under his breath, "He must be special, he's about to make off with my gift for Kate."

"You mean bribe?" Veronica laughs, but Will just rolls his eyes. 

Will's comment bothers Veronica; she can’t help but wonder how Logan knows the beautiful blonde reporter and why he’s still in Chicago? As they near, Logan bends to hug Gretchen. 

“Thanks Gretch, I’ll enjoy this tonight!” He stands and notices Veronica. “Ronnie!” 

His face contorts as if he’s not sure why the old nick name slipped out. She grins knowing her presence surprised him, but she’s also feeling a bit off guard. Will glances at Veronica quizzically.

“Logan. I didn’t realize you were back in town or… still in town.” 

Her eyes shift to Gretchen and back. She’s troubled by the pang in her gut.

“Oh, yeah,” he glances nervously back at Gretchen, “I decided to hang out for a bit. Um, this is Gretchen, a friend from Hearst. Gretchen, _this_ is Veronica Mars.” 

He says it like he may regret it later. Will is standing nearby watching the exchange, bemusedly.

Gretchen’s eyes light up, “Veronica? As in, _The_ Veronica?” 

Logan rolls his eyes and Veronica lifts a brow but shakes Gretchen’s hand anyway. She’ll think about how strange that reaction was later. 

“Hi Gretchen, nice to meet you. We were just on our way to see you.” Veronica gestures to Will, “This is Will Gardner.”

Gretchen shoots a smile at Will that says she thinks she’s about to catch her big break. It’s… predatory. Veronica notices Logan, looking from herself to Gretchen and has to strain to hear the words under his breath in the noisy newsroom, “This should prove fun.”

Gretchen turns her full attention to Will, “So, why should I hold your story?”

“Well, the Scotch for one,” he turns to Logan with a pointed look at the gift bag, “and because it’s not true.”

Gretchen is skeptical, “It’s not true that Dr. Farland’s being investigated?”

“No, it’s not true the investigation is going Farland’s way.”

Gretchen raises a brow, “And you know this how?”

Will sighs, somewhat exasperated, “I know this because I can see who has an agenda. In this case, the defense.”

The room around them has been buzzing with activity, and they suddenly hear a yell of “Heads up!” from across the room.

Logan, reflexes as sharp as ever, reaches over and snatches an orange stress ball from the air just before it hits Will’s shoulder. Will doesn’t even flinch. Logan tosses the ball from one hand to the other a couple of times before lobbing it back across the room to the owner, several cubicles away.

Veronica had been watching Logan’s large hands intently and when she looks up she notices Gretchen looking at her quizzically before turning back to Will. 

“Why should I care?”

“Give me five minutes to convince you, please.”

“Oka-a-ay.” 

Gretchen doesn’t look convinced but she seems willing to hear Will out.

“I’ll give you complete back channel on the case.”

Gretchen laughs. “Uh, as pulse-racing as _that_ is...,” 

Logan can barely contain a laugh at this and Will turns and regards him with a hint of disdain before Gretchen continues, “...get me back channel on _this_.” She points to the monitor on her desk which is showing a news report.

Will glances at the monitor. 

“Your computer?” 

This prompts a laugh from Veronica who appreciates Will’s deflection.

Gretchen glances at the ceiling. 

“Mm, no, the cheese thing.”

The mention of cheese gets Veronica’s attention and she stifles her laughter long enough to ask, “There’s a cheese thing?” 

Logan doesn’t even try to hold back his mirth, he’s finding the whole exchange downright amusing.

Will turns his attention to the monitor. 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“The listeria outbreak. All the sick kids, some were hospitalized… “

Logan turns to Veronica, very concerned, “You eat a lot of cheese, you feeling okay?” 

But she just rolls her eyes at him.

Gretchen continues to question Will, “Eli Gold is part of your firm, right?”

Will closes his eyes briefly, exasperation clear on his face. It's apparent he has no clue what’s going on at the office. 

He glances at Veronica for help, but she shrugs, “Kalinda was working with Eli today.” 

He nods almost imperceptibly at Gretchen in assent.

“I’ll delay my story, you get me the back channel ticktock on the crisis managing.”

Logan turns in Will’s direction, “She’s a bulldog man. Just like this one,” he indicates Veronica with a jerk of the head. 

At that Veronica huffs a breath and something that sounds like: “Apparently you have a type” sneaks out.

“I’ll have to talk to Eli.”

“Well, then it wouldn’t be a back channel, would it?” Gretchen leans forward in her chair. “Get me something behind the scenes.”

“Let me see what I can do.”

Gretchen relaxes back before offering, “Oh, and by the way, uh, it’s _not_ the FDA investigation that’s concluding.”

Veronica can’t help her curiosity at this point, “What do you mean?”

Gretchen turns to her to share, “The call I got was about the State’s Attorney. Turns out, they decided not to bring fraud charges against Dr. Farland.”

Will and Veronica share a look before turning to leave, Logan trailing behind. They stop outside on the sidewalk, Will pacing with his hands in his pockets and Veronica looking on. Will stops suddenly and points in her direction. 

“We need to find out why the SA is suddenly dropping their case. Have you met Cary Agos?”

“Once or twice.”

“I know Cary.” 

Both Veronica and Will slowly turn in Logan’s direction as if they'd forgotten he was there. 

“He handled stuff for me before he left Lockhart Gardner. Maybe if Veronica and I work together we can find something out.” Veronica and Will stare at him, speechless. Logan shrugs, “Might be fun.”

### 

In the end, Will decides to contact Cary directly about the Dr. Farland case. Veronica can't go see Cary _and_ keep her “date” with James, Celeste’s intern. Logan and Veronica head back to The Drake and Will heads to the SA's office.

Veronica and Logan are sitting in a small cafe across from the hotel. She has a bit of time to kill before she expects to hear from James. They both have coffees in front of them but neither of them are drinking. While Veronica reviews the deposition file, Logan types away at his laptop. 

The silence between them is comfortable. Companionable. Veronica sneaks a glance at Logan. _This is nice. We can do the friend thing. Right?_ Logan lifts his own head in her direction and she refocuses on the file in front of her.

“Uh oh.” She comes across testimony that states that FDA rules say Zuggler Med was within their rights to manufacture Dr. Farland’s device because it is merely a minor modification of the FDA approved devices. “This is curious.”

Logan looks up from the laptop he’s typing on. “What’s that?”

“This says that Dr. Farland was able to use his device because it was similar to the FDA approved devices.” Veronica scrunches up her brow in thought as she studies a couple pictures in the file. “Look at this Logan. At least in appearance they couldn’t be more different.”

“Are you allowed to show me this stuff?”

“It became part of the public record when it was filed in support of the motion.”

“I love it when you talk all lawyerly.” He winks and reaches for the photos. His hand brushes against hers and they both still. Veronica snaps out of it as he studies the photos. “They certainly do appear different, but maybe the way they work is similar?”

“Hmm.” Veronica is lost in thought. “What do you know about patents?” 

She pages through the file in search of something she’d glossed over earlier.

“Well, I did some research into patents when I wrote _The Green Room._ Did Dr. Farland file for a patent on his device?”

She finally finds what she’s looking for. 

“He certainly did. Check this out.” 

She shifts the page in front of Logan and points to the relevant line of text.

Logan reads it aloud, “This SCS is a truly original development in severe back pain management. It is not a mere modification…” He grins up at Veronica, “Nice of them to use that wording!”

“I don’t think it means what they think it means.” 

She winks and Logan laughs at her antics.

“We should watch that soon. Is Wallace a fan?” 

Memories of past movie nights bombard them both. Their eyes meet and hold long enough to make Veronica uncomfortable and she shifts in her seat and lowers her gaze.

“You should know.” 

As soon as the words are past her lips she knows it was an awful thing to say. She shouldn’t begrudge Logan his friends. She should be glad he and Wallace have become so close. 

The silence, that had been comfortable, now hangs heavy between them. For the first time since seeing each other again it feels awkward and tense. The gift bag of Scotch sits next to Logan on the bench, a reminder to Veronica that she really doesn’t know much about Logan’s life anymore.

“Did you two… date? I mean… are you dating?” 

Veronica stutters a bit on the question, her composure slipping.

“Who?” Logan meets her eye. “Gretchen?” She nods. “I’m not dating Gretchen, Veronica.”

“Did you?”

“Does it matter?”

“I guess not. Sorry. It’s really none of my business.”

“No. It’s really not. _You_ left Veronica. _You_ removed yourself from my life. So, you’re right, it’s none of your business.”

“Logan.” She pleads with him with her eyes.

“Please be careful with this new job Veronica.” She’s confused for a minute. _Where is this coming from?_ “You tend to use people’s feelings to further your investigations.”

“Is this about the intern guy?” Veronica’s confused for a moment but then realizes he’s not talking about today. “You think that’s what I did with you?” she turns away, fighting the urge to flee the cafe. “I suppose I did.” It’s barely a whisper. 

Then she turns back to him. 

“Look, that’s why I left. Everything was so wrong, with Dad, with Wallace, with Mac, with Piz, with you especially. I screwed up so much, Logan. I know you said bygones but I need you to know that I didn’t leave because of you. I left because of me.”

Another long silence passes between them.

“You need some backup on this date with the intern? I can blend into the background.”

Veronica’s face lights up. She’d much rather have Logan on her side working with her than questioning her motivations.

### 

As Veronica and Logan approach The Drake they pass by Alicia and a man Veronica doesn’t recognize. 

Veronica hears him say, “Peter told Zach that he slept with another woman.” 

Veronica slows her stride so she doesn’t miss Alicia’s response.

“What? What did Peter say?” 

As they pass Veronica makes sure that Logan is between her and Alicia so Alicia doesn’t see her.

The man replies with a touch of attitude, “He told Zach, your son, that he, Peter, was at fault for you kicking him out ‘cause he slept with somebody else and so now I’m wondering who that somebody else was.”

Veronica is wondering the same, but she can’t let Logan get too far ahead of her or loiter here listening too long or she’ll certainly be recognized.

Veronica and Logan enter the hotel bar just as James’ text message comes through. He’ll be there to meet her in ten minutes. Logan settles himself on a barstool where he can see Veronica. She’s in a booth close enough he’ll be able to hear their conversation and yet remain inconspicuous.

Veronica, as Amber, cozies up to James in the booth of the hotel bar. She’s on her second drink, but unbeknownst to James, Logan is making sure the bartender is going light on the alcohol. She needs to remain clear headed. James needs to believe she’s a bit tipsy.

Over James’ shoulder, Veronica notices Will approach the bar. He glances her way briefly then strikes up a conversation with Logan. She notices Logan trying to hand the gift bag to Will, but Will waves him off and takes his drink to a table in the corner. Veronica sees Celeste waiting with a deck of cards in hand.

James is prattling on about horse racing or something, and she’s having trouble focusing on what he’s saying. Thoughts of Logan, questions about his history with Gretchen, crowd her mind. She’s not sure why it’s bothering her so much. _Gretchen recognized my name. He talked about me to her. Why?_

She takes a sip of her diluted drink and laughs at whatever James was saying. She’s not even sure it was funny but he keeps talking. She knows she’s off her game, and she blames these incessant thoughts of Logan. She can’t seem to bring James back around to discussing the case no matter how hard she tries.

### 

“That was a bust. My time would’ve been better spent with you.”

Logan grins at her. “I’m still here.”

“Can we get a table? I’m hungry. Can you believe he didn’t even offer to buy me dinner?”

“Amateur.” 

Logan indicates the empty table behind Celeste with a flourish and leads Veronica in that direction. He takes the seat facing Will, and Veronica sits back to back with Celeste.

“What is that card game? Some kind of poker?”

Logan watches over Veronica’s shoulder for a couple minutes while she looks over the menu. 

“Thought it was poker at first, but now I’m not sure.”

The waiter approaches and they order entrées and drink refills. From the neighboring table they hear Will mention Gretchen and both listen intently.

“So how do you know Gretchen?”

“Gretchen?” Celeste doesn't sound flustered.

“The reporter. Through your firm?” 

When Veronica realizes that Will thinks Celeste leaked the story to improve her case her eyes widen.

But Celeste sounds convincing when she replies, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Logan leans across the table so Veronica can hear him whisper, “What’s the next play?”

“He’s trying to find out their bottom line, I wasn’t able to get anything helpful out of James.”

Logan sees Will shrug and then they listen in again, “Hmm, so are we gonna play cards all night or are we gonna negotiate?”

“How about both? You lose this hand, you convince your client to take my deal. I lose this hand, I convince my client to take your deal.” 

Both of Veronica's eyebrows reach toward her hairline when she hears Celeste betting on the case.

“What deal?” Will's voice remains impassive. 

“$10 million.” 

At Celeste’s reply Veronica whispers to Logan, “He got it! Their bottomline!”

Their waiter approaches then with their entrées and Veronica isn’t able to hear much more of the conversation behind her. Celeste is obviously trying to get Will to gamble on his client's future and Veronica is relieved when Will adamantly refuses and leaves the bar.

“Logan.” He looks up at her from his steak, fork halfway to his mouth. “I’ll be right back, I need to get that patent info to Will.” 

She takes off towards the elevator and catches up to Will just before he steps on. 

“That was impressive.”

Will turns to face her. 

“Was it? Didn’t feel impressive.” A shudder runs through his body. “I used to play her games without a second thought. Tonight, it just made me feel dirty.” 

He shakes his head.

“You got her bottom line, and you did the right thing, it was too much of a gamble.”

Will scoffs at that, “I must be getting old.” 

He looks down at his feet. Veronica grins at him. 

“I have something to make you feel better.”

His face brightens as he looks up at her and she tells him all about the patent verbiage before he enters the elevator alone and she returns to the restaurant to finish her dinner with Logan. Her second _dinner out_ with Logan in less than a week. She tries not to dwell too much on what that might mean.

### 

Alicia looks up from the desk as Will enters their hotel suite. 

“Anything?”

“They want to pay $500,000, but they’re willing to go to $10 million.”

She chuckles, “You’re kidding?”

Will stops at the mini bar and pours himself a drink. 

“Nope.”

“We were willing to take $5 million.”

He laughs and toasts her with his glass, takes a deep swallow. 

“The only bad news is, I don’t think she planted the story with Gretchen, but I can’t tell. She’s a good bluffer.”

“Anything else?”

Will grins knowingly, “Yeah, and this is the best part. The new investigator? Veronica? She’s going to probably need a raise in pay already. She found a line in the patent application that blatantly points out the originality of Farland’s design.”

“So, he can no longer use the ‘it’s similar’ speak when comparing it to the other FDA approved devices.”

“Got it in one.” He sits on the edge of the bed, sets his drink on the nightstand, and loosens his tie. “We got ‘em. We can present it in front of the mediator tomorrow. Celeste won’t have a choice but to capitulate.”

Alicia stands, takes a step closer to Will, straddles his lap, and teases, “We have this hotel suite for the whole weekend?” 

She wraps her arms around his neck.

“We do. Your brother with the kids?”

“He is.” She leans down, and with her hands on either side of his face kisses him gently. “And it looks like I got _you_ right where I want you.”


End file.
